Facts: Haiti
With just over 11 million inhabitants, Haiti is the Caribbean’s most populous nation.
The country is located in the Caribbean Sea, where it shares the island of Hispaniola with the neighboring Dominican Republic.
The island was already divided in the 17th century into two parts – one part held by France and one by Spain. After a slave revolt, Haiti’s independence was proclaimed in 1804. The new country made history as the first to abolish slavery.
But Haiti has never managed to achieve any long-term stability. The 19th century was characterized by continued wars, and during the 20th century, cruel regimes succeeded each other.
The latest era can be said to have begun with the catastrophic earthquake of 2010, with hundreds of thousands of victims. Afterwards, an election was held, the results of which were strongly contested. Nor did subsequent elections in 2015 and 2016 lead to any stable leadership in the country.
When President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his home on July 7, 2021, the situation worsened further.
According to the UN children’s fund Unicef, 72 schools in Haiti have reported acts of violence since the start of the school year in October, which means a ninefold increase compared to last year. These are kidnappings, robberies and looting.
At least 13 of the schools have been targeted by armed groups. A school has been set on fire, a student has been killed and at least two school employees have been kidnapped, according to Unicef’s compilation.
In addition, the perpetrators have looted schools of benches, computers, batteries and solar panels.
“Bags of rice, dough and corn used for school meals – a lifeline for countless children in Haiti – have also been stolen along with canteen equipment,” the UN agency said.
The escalating violence in the country, where armed groups now control large areas, threatens children’s ability to go to school. Unicef estimates that, on average, children in Haiti are expected to miss more than a month of schooling during the school year. Over a quarter of the country’s schools have not even opened this year.
“A child who is afraid to go to school is a child who is at greater risk of being recruited into armed groups,” says Unicef’s Haiti representative Bruno Maes.